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Poland has a host of unique festivals, special events, and religious celebrations all around the year.
Taking part in Polish festivals is one of the best ways to meet the locals, understand the culture and get a deep sense of the spirit of Poland.
If you would like to know more about Polish festivals and participate in them, then give us a shout and we will help you plan your Poland Tour.
Following is a list of festivals that will give you a more clear view of the Polish culture and traditions:
- New Year’s Eve Party
- Easter Celebrations
- Juvenilia
- Warsaw Beer Festival
- Baltic Days of Jewish Culture
- Wianki
- Saint Dominic’s Fair
- Pierogi Festival
- Jewish Culture Festival
- Zielona Gora Wine Festival
- All Saints Day
- Christmas & Saint Stephen’s Day
New Year’s Eve Party
Just like the rest of the world, New Year’s Eve is celebrated with lots of enthusiasm in Poland. Locals come together and organize events like sleigh rides, bonfires, there are lots of house parties, balls, family gatherings, dancing, music, food, and much more.
Make your Poland tour special by visiting Krakow city where the biggest open-air New Year’s Eve party is celebrated at the Rynek Glowny arena. This venue provides free entertainment options for New Year’s Eve. The celebrations go on past midnight and conclude with a display of lights and a laser show at midnight.
Across all cities in Poland, fireworks are lit and seen in the skies above around midnight between New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. At this moment many people toast drinks to farewell to the old year and welcome the New Year. It is also a tradition to wish friends and family a Happy New Year.
Come 1st of January it’s a day for concerts in auditoriums and carols sung in churches throughout Poland.
Location: Any city of Poland (Warsaw, Krakow, Gdansk)
Held On: 31st December – 1st January
Easter Celebrations
Poland is largely a Catholic country where Easter traditions are both symbolic and fun. The celebrations begin about a week or ten days prior to Easter Sunday and end on Easter Monday.
The egg represents a new life and is a recurrent symbol of Easter. Decorating eggs is part of the celebration, quite often followed by another traditional ritual of egg beating. During this time Poles spend time with their families and honor the long-standing Easter traditions.
Households in Poland come alive with family breakfasts to celebrate Easter Sunday. The whole family gathers together to exchange wishes and enjoy a protein-rich breakfast, which traditionally includes ham, sausage, meats, paste, eggs, and bread. This marks the end of the 40-day fast that precedes the holiday.
The next day is usually less formal and is often known as Wet Monday or Śmigus-Dyngus. On this day, people use bucket pails or toy water guns to soak each other with water, this custom is popular with the youth. As tradition has it guys soak girls on Monday, and Tuesday is time for revenge, with girls soaking the guys.
If you happen to be in Krakow, you can check out the Krakow Easter Market that takes place on the Rynek Glowny main square of the city. There are stalls set up for the two weeks leading up to Easter. They sell all types of typical Polish handicrafts like Pisanka (Polish Easter egg), elaborately painted eggs made of wood or ceramic, and lamb shaped edible decorations.
Location: All cities of Poland (Warsaw, Gdansk, Krakow)
Held In: April
Read More: Best Christmas Holiday Destination in Europe
Juvenilia
‘Juwenalia‘ is an annual holiday for students pursuing higher education in Poland. It is usually celebrated in May, before the summer exams, and sometimes in early June.
The festival dates back to the 15th century. It is celebrated by all colleges across Poland and may have a different name, depending on the region.
Students dress up in colourful clothing and join the parade. They march from the college campus to the town square and here a symbolic gesture takes place. The mayor hands the town’s gate keys to the students. This gesture indicates there will be no lectures for the next three days.
Students take over the city and for the next three days music concerts, dancing, beer drinking and fancy-dress parades set the tone of the three-day holiday.
Location: From any University in Poland (Warsaw, Gdansk) to the central square of the city.
Held In: Between May – June.
Warsaw Beer Festival
If you are a fan of craft beer and would like to sample 800 craft beers at a single location, then head straight to the VIP zone of Legia Warsaw Stadium and be part of the three-day festival showcasing Poland’s best craft breweries.
Once here, indulge in the aromas, tastes and flavours of the finest beers Poland has to offer. If you get overwhelmed by the selection of 800 beers, then beer guides at the venue will assist you in finding the perfect brew for your taste.
The three-day festival is held twice a year, either in April or May and October. It also features Polish food trucks and games like table football, pinball machines, workshops, specialized lectures, discussions, tutored tastings and much more.
You can spend the entire weekend at the stadium experiencing the atmosphere and meeting some wonderful people.
Location: Warsaw (Municipal Legia Warsaw Stadium)
Held In: April or May and October
If not the Beer festival, you can surely be a part of our Beer Tasting Tour
Baltic Days of Jewish Culture
The Baltic Days of Jewish Culture is an annual two-day festival of Jewish culture which takes place in the city of Gdańsk usually at the beginning of June.
During the two-day event, a number of different concerts take place, followed by Hebrew lessons, seminars, and exhibitions. There are public meetings with prominent authors and readings of Hebrew poetry also take place.
The festival has been organized and managed since the year 1999, by the Social and Cultural Organization of Jews in Poland.
Location: Gdansk
Held In: June
Read More: Christmas Traditions in Poland
Wianki
In English, Wianki translates to ‘wreaths’ (an arrangement of flowers, leaves, and stems), a pagan festival celebrating the summer solstice.
The origin of this festival dates back to before the Christ era. The rituals followed by the ancient people during the festival included fortune-telling, couples wandering together in forests, and jumping over bonfires.
However, with the passage of time, the rituals have changed and include musical concerts and cultural events followed by a show of fireworks in the sky.
The festival has always been celebrated alongside the Vistula River. The floating of the wreaths is the highlight of this festival and one can see maidens floating garlands (Wianki) down the river to predict when they will get married. Once the musical programs and concerts are over the crowds head to the city’s bar and clubs.
Location: Krakow (Banks of River Vistula)
Held In: June
Saint Dominic’s Fair
The city of Gdańsk hosts the Saint Dominic’s Fair every year. This is one of the biggest open-air festivals in Europe and has been running since the year 1260.
Pope Alexander IV established the tradition and the fair lasts up to 3 weeks. Thousands of merchants and artists from different countries participate in this fair and bring along with them distinct artifacts that belong to their culture.
More than 70,000 people from different parts of the world visit the fair every day and the number of visitors doubles during weekends. This is Poland’s most popular festival and symbolizes the medieval tradition of trade and fun.
At the fair, you can explore a variety of stalls selling unique artifacts, handicrafts, expensive clothes, antiques, philatelic collections, etc. At the food courts, you can taste a variety of traditional Polish dishes. There are beer stalls, wine tasting, and vodka venues too. The festival also features street parades, sports events, fireworks, concerts, and much more.
You will witness a large crowd during the opening ceremony, the strongman competition, and Saint Dominic’s race. The closing ceremony is equally interesting with a beautiful display of fireworks.
Location: Gdańsk
Held In: Mid-July to Mid-August
Missed Saint Dominic’s Fair ? Still explore this Gdańsk on a Private walking Tour
Pierogi Festival
You will never know what Poland is all about, until you try out some true Polish cuisine. The best time to do this is during the National Pierogi Festival organised every year in mid August at Mały Rynek (a small market square) in Krakow.
‘Pierogi‘ means dumplings and is a common dish across Europe, but it is especially good in Poland. The festival provides a unique chance to try all the possible variations of this savoury dish. They are prepared in different shapes and sizes using dough and the most attractive part is the stuffing inside the dumpling. The stuffing is made from meat, mushrooms, vegetables, potato, spinach, cabbage, cheese, fruits and berries, and various mixtures of all the ingredients.
There are two awards given to participants during the festival, one the winner of best Pierogi, selected by judges, receives the statue of Saint Jack with Pierogi, the other the winner of best Pierogi selected by the public receives the statue of the beloved Polish King Casimir – the Great.
The festival promotes Polish cuisine and its folk culture and you can enjoy delicious food accompanied by Polish folk art and music.
Location: Krakow, Mały Rynek (Small Market Square)
Held In: August
Read More: Beer Festivals in Germany
Jewish Culture Festival
The festival of Jewish Culture in Warsaw – the ‘Singer’s Warsaw‘ is an annual celebration of Jewish culture that has been held in Warsaw since 2004.
Over 250 artists from Poland and across the world come together and celebrate the Jewish culture festival and it is a grand affair of musical and theatre genres.
The festival includes both Hebrew and Yiddish theatre, music, films, exhibits and expositions. They recreate the Jewish culture from the period of interwar Poland, complete with historical buildings and atmosphere. It is one of the most popular festivals in Poland and is celebrated for a period of 8 to 10 days every year.
The festival also features kosher food, dancing, songs, and a collection of crafts, ceramics and posters. There are numerous workshops, discussion groups and seminars held on topics related to Yiddish culture.
The festival is organised by Shalom Foundation and its main aim is to promote Jewish culture in Poland.
Location: Grzybowski Square, Warsaw city of Poland.
Held In: August – September
Zielona Gora Wine Festival
Poland has never been considered a wine country; even then you will find viniculture here. The wine festival starts during the first or second week of September and lasts for nine days.
It is held in the Polish town of Zielona Góra. The grape harvest is the most awaited festival in this city and begins with handling over the keys to the god of wine – Bacchus. As the god takes over the city the festival is truly on. The festival first took place in October 1852.
During the nine day festival, the best wines of the region are poured out to the visitors, there’s a lot of cultural and sport events, don’t miss the International Festival of Folklore, followed by street plays and musical concerts.
The town centre turns into a market place and those interested in antiques can check out the antique market situated in a separate lane.
Location: Zielona Góra
Held In: September
All Saints Day
The Polish traditions and customs still remain as strong today as they did centuries ago. Every year, on 1st November the Polish people observe the ‘All Saints Day’ in the memory of their family members and friends whom they lost. This night brings the worlds of the living and the dead closer to each other.
This is a silent event and people decorate the cemeteries of their loved ones with candles and flowers, offer church services and also lighten up the surrounding graveyard. Even though its a sad event, it’s a remarkable sight to see and experience.
The Polish people have a deep respect for their past and a positive outlook on their future, which you will discover in great depth during your trip to Poland.
Location: Graveyards in all cities of Poland (Warsaw, Gdansk, Krakow)
Held On: 1st November
Christmas & St. Stephen’s Day
Polish Christmas is one of the most beautiful and vibrant festivals everyone should experience, at least once. It’s truly a magical time, when the cities are lit up and everyone is celebrating.
Locals visit the church service before indulging in traditions like horseback riding as well as eating and drinking with family and friends. The celebration begins on the evening of 24th December.
Don’t be surprised if you’re invited to the Christmas dinner during your trip to Poland and see an empty chair at the table. The Polish believe that no one should be alone or hungry on Christmas evening, which is why they traditionally leave a chair for an unknown person or even invite somebody who they think might be lonely on 24th December.
The typical Christmas table there will be 12 dishes and each of them needs to be tried. After dinner locals go for a midnight ‘Pasterka’ or Christmas Mass at one of the churches nearby.
The celebrations usually continue on 25th and 26th December. The second day of Christmas is also known as Saint Stephen’s day and sometimes as Boxing Day, with people meeting up with their friends and relatives and attending special church services.
Further, Christmas markets add to the excitement and every city in Poland comes alive. This is the best time to explore the market stalls, filled with gifts and holiday food.
Location: Any city in Poland (Warsaw, Gdansk, Krakow)
Held In: December
There are many more festivals the Polish people celebrate every year. The above list provides you with the most important and unique festivals of Poland which you must experience during your Poland tour. So, plan your trip to Poland and witness these festivals for a heart-warming experience.